


A Not so typical day

by krisrussel



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-12
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-29 01:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/681228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krisrussel/pseuds/krisrussel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick is an average New Yorker and today is not going as he had planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Not so typical day

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to my beta, Mikki. You rock!  
> This story won first prize in the fiction competition at SF Ball. I hope everyone will think of it as highly as they did ;^)

This really is not how I imagined my day to go. Not at all!   
When I woke up this morning at 6 AM for another typical Wednesday of breakfast, work, dinner, tv, bed, I really had not expected to be surrounded by a few SWAT teams who had their massive guns trained on me and my red-skinned friend around 3 PM in the middle of Central Park.  
When I say red-skinned, you’re probably thinking native American or someone who spend too much time sunbathing in either the actual sun or under a solarium. You’d be wrong in either case. My friend has the skin color of a ripe strawberry. He also has no nose, three eyes, an insane sharp set of teeth, six fingers and eight toes, a head as bald as a bowling ball and no lips.  
As you now might guess correctly, my red-skinned friend isn't from lovely planet Earth. He’s from a very small planet that’s about 500 lightyears away from us. His people are so advanced that they can actually travel that distance in less than a year.  
Oh, did I mention there’s a massive, and I mean MASSIVE, UFO hovering above our heads?   
Anyway, I should probably start at the beginning, shouldn't I?

Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Nick, Nick McGregor. I was born, raised and live in Brooklyn, New York. I’m 29 and an absolute regular joe. I work in Manhattan as a computer technician for Best Buy. Short brown hair, brown eyes and a bit scrawny. Not a girlfriend in sight because I’m probably too much of a nerd. Like I said: a regular joe who goes unnoticed by everyone who passes him.   
Ugh, here I go again, blabbering about things that don’t really matter. I’m here to tell you how I got where I am right now, with an alien, imposing SWAT guys and a massive UFO. That story does not include me being whiny about myself. It could, but it really shouldn't.  
Now, where was I? Oh yes! I got up this morning at 6 AM as I always do during the week, took a shower and got dressed. As I was eating breakfast while listening to the radio, the regular programming was interrupted by a special news bulletin. Something had crashed into the East River during the night. Rumors were going around that it was a terrorist missile and just to be on the safe side all the bridges and tunnels that crossed the East River were closed off. The boats had stopped their service too. It made me grumble as that meant that it was almost impossible for me to get to Manhattan. I called my boss, who, of course, lives in Manhattan, and he sounded annoyed by the situation, almost like I had made something crash in the East River just to get out of work today. He simply said he’d call me back when he’d got to work and that I would probably be doing house calls in Brooklyn today. I hated housecalls. Some people were absolute idiots with their computers. And some were just idiots in general. The latter category was the worst as they usually treated you like an idiot too. “Are you sure that wire should go there?” “Are you sure turning it on and off will help?” “Do you really know what you’re doing?” “It doesn't look like you know what you’re doing.”  
Right, back on track. I had just put down the phone when there was a knock at my door. Wondering who it could be at this early hour, I opened it and was greeted by the sight of another regular joe.   
“Are you Nick McGregor?”  
I simply nodded.  
“I need to talk to you.”  
“What about? And who are you?” I asked a bit suspicious. I mean, it wasn't even 7AM yet and here was a guy who I didn't know, saying he wanted to talk to me.  
“I am... errrr... David... David Shultz.”  
“Why do you seem doubtful about your own name?”  
“Because I have other things to worry about right now.”  
“Right and that’s why...”   
At that moment I fell silent because the strangest thing happened. The man in front of me started flickering. As in a tv with a bad reception. There were patches of static all over him and he seemed to notice it too as he pulled out a little device and started punching it frantically. A second later the man was replaced by a red-skinned alien who was about two heads shorter than me.  
I’m not sure what happened next, but I am pretty sure I didn't faint. That is not the manly thing to do. But next thing I knew, I woke up on my couch with normal looking David hovering above me, a look of worry marring his face.  
“What the hell?” I exclaimed and pushed him away. “What happened? What are you?”  
“We need to talk,” he repeated.  
“No shit, Sherlock!”  
“I am David,” he said totally serious.  
I groaned. He was an alien, how was he supposed to get this reference. It was really only then that I truly started freaking out. “You’re an alien!! By the Gods, you’re an alien. You’re a fraking alien.”  
“I am sorry you had to find out like this.”  
“How... who... what... how...” I’m not sure how long I went on like this, but when I eventually calmed down a bit he was able to tell his story.  
“My kind is on the verge of extinction. My ancestors have planted part of our gene on Earth just when humans started evolving and they seemed like the perfect place to store it in.”  
“Wait,” I interrupted him. “We have alien genes in us?”  
“It’s a part of you, you do not consider it alien.”  
I just stared. Be honest, how would you react?  
“To save my species, we need that basic gene again. But because millions of years passed, and my ancestors did not put it into everyone, the gene is spread thin. That is why we have been scanning Earth for the last two months, to find the human with the strongest gene.”  
He looked at me knowingly and I just sat there, a bit numb, staring back at him. It took me awhile to figure it out.  
“Nooooooooooo.”  
He nodded and slightly smiled.  
“Me?”  
He nodded again. “The gene is so strong with you that you almost carry the original stem. You are the one who can save my people.”  
I’m not going to pretend I acted all heroic. To be honest, I think I almost peed my pants.  
“What are you going to do with me? Are you going to kill me?”  
He laughed, but it was a friendly laugh, so it was oddly reassuring.  
“I was going to ask if you would like to accompany me to my planet, where we would extract the gene and then we would bring you back here, in one piece.”  
“In one piece? But you’re going to extract something.”  
“It is not so much extracting as it is cloning.”  
“You’re going to clone me?”  
“Only the gene within you.”  
I was baffled. Their technology was so incredibly advanced. There was still one question that nibbled at me.  
“How long will I be gone?”  
“No more than two and a half years. But we can leave one of ours behind who will take your image so no one will miss you.”  
“And have them start to flicker in front of my friends or family? No thanks.”  
David gave an understanding nod.  
“There is one problem though.”  
I sighed. There’s always a problem, isn't there? Nothing ever goes as planned or easy or... you know, without a problem.  
“What is it?” I dreaded to ask.  
“Part of my people do not agree with the plan of our leaders. They have rebelled and they will try to stop us from getting you home.”  
“Why would they do that?”  
“They believe it is more important to keep our people... pure, instead of using a gene that was left behind in a life form as ‘low’ as a human. Luckily, it is only a very small percentage of us who think like that. But they fight with everything they have.”  
“Belief is a very strong motivator.”  
“That it is,” David agreed.  
For a second we both stayed quiet.  
“So, are they here too?” I eventually asked.  
David nodded.   
“That crash in the river...”  
David nodded again. “They shot down one of our small scout ships.”  
“So there’s an alien ship in the East River right now? I can’t even imagine how people will react to that when they find it.”  
“They will not find it.”  
I gave him a curious look.  
“If a ship of ours crashes on an alien planet. A self-destruction sequence will start when the pilots are dead or when the ship can’t be recovered. We received a message that the self-destruct was executed.”  
There was a look of sadness on his face and I realized he probably knew some of the ships crew.  
“I’m sorry for your loss.”  
“Thank you. But those losses will have been for nothing if we don’t get you to my planet.”  
“I must be insane, but all right. I’ll join you. Let me just send an email to my friends and family about me going on an unexpected around-the-world journey of self-discovery. It might take me years for me to discover myself.”

With the email send and after I left a note for my roommate who was still sound asleep in his bed, I packed a small backpack and we set off. Our destination was Central Park. David’s mothership was above it as it was the only space large enough for it to hover close to the ground. Luckily, the ship could cloak, so the good people of Manhattan and it’s many tourists were none the wiser.  
“So, how do you propose we get into Manhattan with all the bridges and tunnels closed?” I asked as we walked out of my apartment building. “Can’t you let your mothership send a scout to come pick us up?”  
“That would be too dangerous. The rebels would pick up the signal. When they know I have located you, they will do anything in their power to kill us both.”  
Ugh, what had I gotten myself into?  
“Okay, the Brooklyn Bridge might be open now to pedestrians and cyclists. We could take a cab from here to the bridge and then another cab from the bridge to Central Park.”  
David only shrugged. “You are the native. I trust your knowledge of the city.”  
I wasn't so sure my knowledge was up-to-par though and I gave him a wry smile.

It took us awhile to find a cab. I think most of them were stuck in the city. By the time we got to the Brooklyn Bridge it was almost 11am. It appeared a lot of people had the same idea. Cops were trying to keep order in the mass of natives and tourists. I gave a David a nervous look.  
“You’re sure your shape-shifting thingy will behave now, right? I don’t want people to start freaking out in this crowd with cops so close.”  
“I’m sure it will be fine,” he said. “It was only a minor malfunction that I fixed while you were... sleeping on the couch.”  
I gave him an annoyed look.

To my relief we crossed the bridge with little difficulty although it took a bit longer than usually.  
“It is strange though that people are allowed to cross the river on foot, but not by car or train.” David pointed out.  
I shrugged. “New York City logic, my friend. I’ll never get it either.”  
As we arrived at Park Row, there seemed to be even more people and cops. There were also plenty of taxis, but none of them readily available.  
“Is it far on foot?” David asked and I gave him an amused look.  
“Only about a two and a half hour walk.”  
He flinched a bit. Seemed like he disliked long walks just as much as I did.  
“Hope you got your walking shoes on,” I grinned and he glared. “Luckily from here the trains are...” My eyes opened wide. “Dude! Static!”  
There was panic in both our eyes. As fast as we possibly could run through a crowd, we sprinted towards the nearest public restroom.   
David immediately went into one of the stalls and it wasn't a moment too soon, because I caught a glimpse of red skin right before he entered.  
A minute passed, five minutes, ten minutes and I couldn't stop pacing. The people who exited and entered the restroom gave me strange looks but I didn't care.  
“Tell me you can fix it,” I finally said after the restroom was empty.  
“There might be a problem.”   
I groaned. “You can’t fix it.”  
“There’s a problem with the power distribution.”  
“I don’t care what the problem is! How are we gonna continue like this? You can’t walk around Manhattan with the way you look. No matter how crazy some of the people here dress.”  
“There is no other choice. I need to contact my ship.”  
“What about the rebels?” I worried about that, wouldn't you?  
“They will be a problem.”  
Oh, nice! “It’s not like we have a choice, right? I mean, we’re in the middle of the administrative district, with city hall and police headquarters at a stone throw away, which means tons of cops. The city is on high-alert because one of your scouts crashed in the river. If you walk out of here, looking like you do, they’ll have us locked up within seconds... or worse... shot!”  
“Indeed.”  
“So, call your ship!”  
“If you will shut up for a few seconds, I will.”  
Well, yeah, that shut me up and kinda made me feel like an idiot.  
I don’t know what he did, but I heard some clicks and beeps and a minute later he told me his ship was contacted and his people were looking for a solution.  
“What do we do until then?”  
“We wait?” he said hesitantly.  
“That sounds reassuring.”  
More people entered and exited the restroom and most gave me funny looks. I also realized that a guy waiting for another guy in a restroom really isn't the standard.  
My brain was going in overdrive. Wasn't there any way to resolve this? It was then that my nerdy side came in very handy.  
“I think I know a way to get you out of here even with the way you look.”  
“You do?” he said, sounding surprised.  
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”  
“Where are you going?” he sounded a bit panicked.  
“Don’t worry, you just stay in there and I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can.”  
My brilliant plan was something I had seen in the movie ‘Paul’. There they got a little alien dressed in a cowboy outfit and if you didn't look too closely, he really did just look like a little kid dressed as a cowboy. So I left the restroom and made my way to Henry Street. I knew there were a couple of carnival stores there and my choices would be plenty. In the end, I bought a glittery disco outfit with black gloves, a Rastafarian wig, a black beard and huge dark sunglasses. I was pretty sure that in this city no one would blink an eye when they saw someone walking around dressed like that.  
When I got back to the restroom, David’s reaction wasn't what I had hoped though.  
“I’m not wearing this!”  
“We need to move, you don’t have a choice.” I pointed out.  
“I don’t care.”  
“You want to stay in here forever?”  
I heard him grumble.  
“My people will be here soon!”  
“Have they contacted you again?”  
“No,” he reluctantly admitted. “I think the rebels are on to them. If they contact us now, the rebels would know where we are and we wouldn't be safe anymore.”  
“So, like I said: you have no choice.”  
He grumbled again, but I heard him fidgeting and clothing rustling. When he eventually left the stall, I bit back laugh. The look on his face told me that if I dared to laugh, he’d kill me without hesitation, no matter how much his people needed me. I barely managed not to laugh. Pure self-control I tell you. Pure self-control.  
“So, do we take the subway?” he asked.  
I shook my head. “Subway will be too busy and people will be pushing up against you, and if one of them notices the color of your skin...”  
“So, taxi?”  
“Yeah, but with all the people coming from the Brooklyn Bridge, we’ll never get one here. We’ll have to move up a couple of blocks.”  
“Alright. Let’s hope these things are walking shoes,” he said as he looked down to his glittery disco boots.

Ten blocks up, we still hadn't come across an empty taxi. This was starting to seem hopeless. The good thing was though that no one gave us a second look, not even with the way David was dressed. At least that part of the plan was working.  
1 PM had passed and I was getting quite hungry, so we stopped by a food truck. The Indian fellow gave David a funny look, but didn't comment and just continued his work.   
We kept on walking and looking for a taxi.

The trouble started just as we passed Houston. A tall black guy walked up to us and held a hand up while saying “you two, stop”.  
We were both surprised, until he turned to David and started making clicking and beeping noises.  
For as much as he could pale, David paled and I realized we were in trouble. This was one of the bad guys.  
David replied to him and the other one just seemed to laugh as he pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. I automatically put up both my hands.  
“Please don’t shoot me.”  
“Pity human. You are barely worth the cost of a bullet.”  
“Excuse me! I’m the one person who can save your species and that’s not worth a bullet?”   
Yes, I was offended. And when I feel offended, I say stupid things. I know, I’m an idiot!  
David looked at me in horror and our gun-wielding friend just looked stumped. Neither lasted longer than a second though as the next thing I knew, David had flung himself forward and was wrestling the big guy for the gun. It was a strange sight to say the least. The downside was that others also stopped to see what was happening. Some noticed the gun and started calling the cops. And on a high-alert day like today, that really was the last thing I wanted. So, I did something I had never done before. I took a step forward and punched the big guy in the face.  
I honestly think I hurt my hand more than his face, cause all he did was look very annoyed and my hand was throbbing.  
So much for my brilliant plan!  
Then the gun went off. The three of us went deadly silent and the people around us started scrambling for cover. I heard sirens in the distance and I knew we had to run.  
To my relief the big guy fell on the ground, gasping for breath. David held on to the gun while reaching in his pocket and pulling out a device similar to his broken one. He pushed a button and the big black guy transformed into a little red guy. What happened next scared me more than anything before. David stepped forward, pointed the gun at the gasping alien’s head and pulled the trigger without hesitation. There was more to him than I had realized. He was a stone-cold killer.   
It only took a second for the body to transform in ashes and be swept away by the wind and I felt stumped.  
David took my arm and dragged me away. A block further in an alley, we hid behind some bins while the cop cars rushed passed. What had I gotten myself into...  
“You shot him.” I pointed out, still feeling shocked and dazed.  
“He would have killed you without hesitating.”  
“But you... and he.... he vaporized!”  
“Another security measure so our bodies won’t fall into the wrong hands. He was dead, no matter if I left him there or shot him.”  
I knew he had a point. If the cops had found a tiny red guy who looked like he did, they would have panicked and shot him anyway.  
“All they have now,” David continued, “are the testimonies of panicking and frightened bystanders and not a body or evidence to support it. Which means that in essence they have nothing. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to fix my transformer so I can get out of this ridiculous get-up and we can get on the subway.”  
He didn't wait for an answer and started picking apart the other guy’s transformation gizmo.  
While he was silently working, I calmed down a bit and started thinking about our situation.  
“If he found us, don’t you think the other rebels are on to us too?”  
“Probably.”  
“What do we do when they start attacking us with bigger guns or just more of them at once?”  
“That’s the reason we need to get to our ship as soon as we can.”  
“But the great lawn in Central Park is still more than 60 blocks up. Even if we can get a direct train right away, it’ll still take us more than half an hour. A lot can happen at that time. Not to mention that the cops are out looking for us.”  
“The cops are looking for a little guy in a disco outfit with a strange skin complexion.” He grunted and closed the lid of his transformer. As he pushed the button, I let out a relieved breath. “They’re not looking for a well dressed tall white guy. Now you clean yourself up and off we go.”  
He dumped the disco-outfit, wig, beard and gloves in a nearby bin and off we went. When we passed some cops I felt nervous, but they barely even looked at us. We just looked like two New Yorkers going to or coming from a business lunch.  
We went into the closest subway station and took the first train going up. Of course it wasn't a direct line, so we had to transfer twice. By the time we got off at the 86th Street station, another hour had passed.

“So, when we get to the great lawn, my ship will send down a scout, we’ll enter and then off we go.”  
“Why don’t they send a scout now?”  
“Because they won’t be able to protect it properly. If the scout stays under the mothership it and thus its passengers will be protected.”  
My gut said it wouldn't be that easy. I should always listen to my gut.

When we entered the park, five guys walked towards us who drawing guns, so we turned and ran onto one of the smaller paths.  
Gunshots sounded behind us and at that moment I thanked every God I could think of that they appeared to be lousy shooters.  
The running didn't actually do us a favor, as the transformer fell out of David’s pocket and smashed into pieces on the ground. David was back to his normal red self, which drew even more attention from bystanders. Park rangers were running towards us and the others. I heard sirens in the distance. On the other side I saw cops running closer.  
“Turn left.” I yelled to David and we ran into yet another branch of the road.  
We were going the long way around, but it wasn't as if we had much of a choice.  
The men behind us kept up and kept trying to shoot us, so David took out his own gun and tried to return fire. The fact that he was now running half-turned, slowed us down considerably and the others were catching up on us.  
“Stop shooting! You’re making them catch up.”  
“Good. Then I’ll have a better chance at shooting them.”  
“They’ll have a better chance at shooting us too!”  
David growled, turned forward and started running at full speed again. I groaned and followed him.  
My legs were hurting, my chest was heaving and I realized I really needed to work out more. I also slowly started losing speed again. My body just couldn't keep up this pace.  
The great lawn was close, but still seemed so very far.  
David also noticed I was slowing down.  
“Screw this,” he said and pulled me off of the path onto the grass and into the bushes.  
I knew the great lawn was somewhere right in front of us, but it was still a good run. I wasn't sure I would make it. Man, my physique really sucks!  
“You can do it, Nick.” David yelled.   
We could see the great lawn through the trees. So close... But our pursuers, the cops and the park rangers were getting closer too. Bullets still flew around us and I knew that if they got any closer, they would have a chance at hitting us.  
We ran onto the great lawn and didn't stop until we were in the dead-center of it. David looked up and started yelling in clicks and beeps. The great mothership decloaked right above our heads, which made the humans who were running after us stop dead in their tracks. How would you react if a UFO with a width that was larger than Central Park suddenly popped up out of the blue right above your head.  
Some weapon-like thing lowered down from it and barely five seconds later the five rebels were dust.  
I let out a relieved breath. That didn't take long though, as now SWAT trucks were driving towards us.  
“David...”  
“They’re prepping the scout.”  
“Tell them to hurry up!”  
He glared at me. “I’m sure they can see what’s happening and they’re working as fast as they can.”  
“Why didn't they have a scout prepped to begin with?” I growled.  
“Because my people won’t tackle a problem before it is actually a problem.”  
“That is stupid!”  
“It is one of the reasons we are dying! Some of us are trying to change the way we think.”  
“You should be re-educated.”  
“Are you volunteering?”  
“Maybe... you know, if we make it out alive.”  
In the meantime the SWAT guys had surrounded us and we both had our hands in the air as they trained their guns on us.   
And this brings us full circle. At this point I’m just as surprised as you at what will happen next. But I have to admit, I’m actually surprised we made it this far.  
One of them takes out a megaphone. “Drop your weapons!”  
David realizes he still has the gun in his hands, so he throws it on the grass.  
“Son, step away from the alien.”  
“What if I don’t want to?” I ask him and he seems surprised by that.  
“Don’t let yourself be abducted, kid.”  
“I’m going willingly.”  
His look was pure bafflement. “But he’s a killer.”  
“He was trying to protect me and his people.” I point out. “He didn't kill any humans. You have nothing on him.”  
“We have witnesses.”  
“But no body or evidence.”  
I can read the silent curse from his lips.  
Finally the mothership decides to join the party as a hatch opens and a much smaller ship, the size of a Buick, comes down towards us. It lands right behind us and when a door opens, I can see the SWAT guys tense up. They seem ready to shoot us on the spot.  
“Please, let us go peacefully.” I shout at them.  
“We can’t just allow them to take you.”  
“But I want this,” I tell him again. “I want this more than anything I ever wanted in my life.”  
He seems to ponder that for a bit. Then he lowers his megaphone, says something to the men around him and one by one they start lowering their weapons.   
We slowly walk backwards and enter the scout ship.  
“You be safe and make it back in one piece,” is the last thing I hear before the door closes.

So, here I am, on my way to another planet, 500 lightyears away from Earth, surrounded by red skinned aliens who click and beep and chased by rebels. I don’t know when I’ll be back or even if I’ll make it out of this alive.  
All I know is that the adventure really is only just getting started.


End file.
